‘Armenian Church Liberation’: Liturgy led by defrocked priest and attended by PM Pashinyan was marked by unrest. Video
Pashinyan attacks the church: liturgy at Hovhannavank
This morning, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the “start of the practical phase of liberating the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.”
For several months, Pashinyan has spoken about removing Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II from the throne, claiming that the Patriarch broke his vow of celibacy and has a daughter. He had previously not ruled out the possibility of staging a protest at Etchmiadzin, raising fears across Armenia about the potential consequences.
However, the Prime Minister chose to begin the “practical liberation of the church” by attending a liturgy at the Hovhannavank Monastery.
The service was conducted by Father Aram Asatryan, effectively a former spiritual leader of the church, who had joined Pashinyan’s movement.
Several days ago, Asatryan was defrocked, which, according to church canon, means he has no right to perform any rites.
So many worshippers attended the Hovhannavank liturgy that many had to pray outside the church walls.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Defense Minister, other government officials, and MPs from the ruling party.
The Supreme Spiritual Council condemned the Prime Minister’s support for what it called a “soul-corrupting initiative disguised as a liturgy.”
In their statement, the clergy emphasized that services at Hovhannavank must be conducted by priests of the Armenian Apostolic Church, not a defrocked former pastor. Nevertheless, no one prevented Father Aram Asatryan from performing the service.
“I do not speak with my own mouth; God speaks through our mouths. By silencing these mouths, they are stifling the word of God,” said the defrocked priest during the sermon.
He also thanked the Prime Minister for attending Hovhannavank and giving him the opportunity to speak to the people with his support.
Meanwhile, half an hour before the Hovhannavank service, a liturgy began at the Etchmiadzin Cathedral, where ordination and consecration of priests took place, conducted by the Catholicos himself.
The events at Hovhannavank, Pashinyan’s morning statement, and the emerging new scandal involving another high-ranking cleric have stirred major controversy in Armenia.
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“He has no right to conduct the liturgy”: incident at Hovhannavank
Police stepped up patrols on the road leading to the monastery and around the church where the liturgy was scheduled to take place. The police chief told journalists that passage was not restricted to anyone, adding that “officers are only maintaining public order.”
Meanwhile, lawyer Ara Zohrabyan, representing the interests of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and group of clergy were not allowed to approach the church.
According to Zohrabyan, the liturgy was supposed to be conducted by Father Shnork Paloyan, head of the administrative council of the Aragatsotn Diocese.
First, police stopped the car in which they were traveling to Hovhannavank, and then local residents blocked their way to the church.
“In addition, from early morning, police units were stationed at the homes of all the diocese priests. They monitored where the priests were going and even detained two of them. Once it was confirmed they were not heading to Hovhannavank, they were released,” Zohrabyan said.
An incident also occurred inside the church. During the liturgy, a man suddenly shouted at the priest:
“Stepan Asatryan [the priest’s secular name], Stepan Asatryan, you have no right to conduct the liturgy here.”
Plainclothes individuals, presumably law enforcement officers, covered his mouth and escorted him out of the church.
Sermon by defrocked priest and thanks to Pashinyan
Father Sargis Petrosyan, one of the clergy at Hovhannavank, previously told journalists that he would conduct the Sunday liturgy at the monastery because Father Aram Asatryan had been defrocked.
The day before, it was revealed that several priests from the Aragatsotn Diocese had been summoned to the Investigative Committee on Sunday at 9 a.m. They issued a public statement saying they could not appear for a valid reason – they were required to perform liturgies in the churches of the diocese.
It is currently unknown whether Petrosyan went to the Investigative Committee or was also unable to reach the church.
During the liturgy, Father Aram Asatryan delivered a sermon based on the Gospel of Mark, stating:
“If we follow Christ, the truth will always triumph.”
He added that even today, there are people endowed with special gifts from God, but many resist their divine calling:
“It has been 2,000 years since Herod beheaded the truth. Today we see people in our reality trying to spread and preach God’s word. But the Pharisees continue to act even now.
I sincerely want to express my gratitude to the leader of our country, the Prime Minister, for acting not like Herod, but the opposite, even after 2,000 years.”
The priest thanked Pashinyan for allowing the people to hear God’s word by attending the liturgy. After these words, the congregation in the church applauded loudly, showing support for both Father Aram and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
“They spread not the teaching of Christ, but corruption”: statement by Pashinyan
In a video published this morning, the Armenian prime minister said:
“The problem is that Ktrich Nersisyan [the Catholicos’ secular name] and his already notorious circle have bound our holy place – the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – in chains of corruption. They are spreading not the teaching and doctrine of our Lord and Teacher Jesus Christ, but corruption, depravity, and a criminal subculture.
The agenda to liberate the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has long been overdue. Today’s liturgy at Hovhannavank symbolizes the start of the practical phase of freeing our holy place, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Each of us, including priests of the Armenian Apostolic Church, must make our choice.”
“Another attempt to split the church”: reaction of the supreme spiritual council
The Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church issued a statement, reminding that a defrocked priest cannot perform church rites under canon law:
“The soul-corrupting initiative of Stepan Asatryan, disguised as a liturgy at Hovhannavank with the support of the prime minister, is reprehensible. This is yet another attempt by the leader of the ruling political force to split the church, illegal and anti-church in all its forms.”
The council also stated that the actions of the former clergyman “interfere with the lawful service of the active priests of Hovhannavank, desecrate the holy place, and make those participating in this unacceptable process complicit in anti-canonical acts.”
Furthermore, the clergy have called on law enforcement to stop the unlawful actions of the defrocked priest.
Who is Father Aram and why was he defrocked
Father Aram Asatryan served in the Aragatsotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He drew nationwide attention in mid-September 2025 when he spoke openly about problems in the church during a broadcast on Public Television.
Among other things, he admitted that he had participated in nearly all opposition protests in 2021 – not of his own volition, but under orders from superiors.
Nearly a month after Asatryan’s statement, on October 15, several clergy members were detained, including the head of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan. Proshyan, notably, is the Catholicos’ nephew.
The court has already ordered his two-month detention, accusing him of “using official authority to obstruct voting rights and compel people to attend gatherings.”
On October 21, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin announced the defrocking of Father Aram Asatryan.
The decision was based on a report from the head of the Aragatsotn Diocese and the conclusion of the Commission on Awards and Disciplinary Matters. Church authorities stated that Asatryan had discredited the church, the diocesan head, and his fellow clergy through his public statements.
In addition, over the past month, Asatryan had omitted parts of the liturgy in which the names of the Catholicos and diocesan head are mentioned. The higher clergy stated that, by doing so, he had “erased himself from the church.”
On October 23, he was ordered to leave Hovhannavank and return the church keys. However, Father Aram ignored this directive and continues to perform rituals such as weddings and baptisms.
Another scandal: intimate videos of archbishop appear online ahead of liturgy
Alongside the ongoing church controversy, intimate videos recorded with hidden cameras in the home of another high-ranking clergyman began circulating on social media. The original source is a previously unknown Telegram channel.
The footage shows Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, head of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin’s chancery, and his uncle’s wife.
It is possible this is what Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan alluded to in one of his social media posts when launching his “movement to liberate and cleanse the church.”
Khachatryan is also a member of the disciplinary commission that decided to defrock Father Aram Asatryan.
Khachatryan described the publication as the implementation of an “illegal directive” from the prime minister and said he could not seriously engage in “refuting fabrications and slander.”
Pro-government media claimed that the archbishop demanded the resignation of the Catholicos of All Armenians, suggesting that Garegin II should step down voluntarily before information about violations of clerical vows by other clergy spread.
Some social media posts even suggested that the videos were commissioned and distributed by the higher clergy.
However, Archbishop Khachatryan denied calling for the Catholicos’ resignation, stating:
“Given the language and preferences used by the notorious leader of the ruling party, it is entirely natural that media serving him have no choice but to spread perversions and slander, comparable to the defamatory plot of ‘The Other Side of the Earth.’”
Human rights defenders condemned the hidden-camera recordings and the dissemination of the videos.
The NGO Union of Informed Citizens filed a complaint with the general prosecutor’s office regarding gross violations of privacy. It remains unknown whether law enforcement has opened a criminal case.
Human rights defender Anait Manasyan also issued a statement condemning the violation of the right to privacy. While she did not name individuals, she called for “a proper investigation into cases of privacy violations.”
News in Armenia
Pashinyan attacks the church: liturgy at Hovhannavank
